Tag Archives: vegan

Leopard and Stripes

I’ve heard leopard is a neutral. It’s classic and timeless and it goes with everything–including, I’d argue, stripes, florals, or plaid.

stripes and leopard

Top: Marshall’s
Jeans: Macy’s
Pleather belt: Truth
Pumps: DSW

I started off tame and wore my leopard pumps with stripes.

satiny pumps

I separated the patterns with my Kelly green cropped jeans. I really love denim in all the shades of the rainbow. I have yellow jeans, and red ones and a few other colors.

green jeans

My shoes, hiding in the grass like a leopard, are a great rubber-soled platform. Comfortable, and sturdy, even when I walk on slippery surfaces.

If you have a pair of shoes that are hard to balance in because the sole is slippery, I recommend getting a shoe repair shop to add a Vibram sole to them. I wrote about Vibram soles last year, and described how they preserve leather-soled shoes. And while I no longer wear leather, the Vibrams will save any sole and improve grip. The tip is still true.

pattern mixing

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Faux Suede Skinny Jeans

I few weeks ago, before the cherry blossoms blew away in the wind, I debuted my new, faux-suede skinny jeans.

faux suede pants

Top: Old Navy
Pants: Swapped
Boots: Urban Outfitters
Scarf: Fred Meyer’s
Cuff: Etsy
Trench (below): Swapped

I picked these up at a clothing exchange earlier this year. They’re so soft and, well, suede-like. A great example of how you can get the look and feel without the actual skin. Plus, these are stretchy and machine-washable. You can’t say that about suede. I picked up the same brand and style in gray corduroy too. I don’t know who dumped these terrific pants, but thank you!

tan and navy

I paired my pants with a simple long-sleeved t-shirt and threw on a scarf. I like the subtle elephant pattern of this scarf.

elephant scarf

Nothing says spring like a trench coat. I threw a patterned coat (also from an exchange) over my outfit. It color-coordinated and introduced another pattern, which I like.

spring trench coat

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A New Dress for Spring

I found this dress at a clothing exchange recently. It belonged to my friend, Kristin. I gravitate toward her castoffs and she often ends up with mine.

patterned dress

Dress: Swapped
Tights: Target
Boots: Groupon
Necklace: Herbivore Clothing

This seems like a great three-season dress. I like that it’s a faux wrap and has a built-in panel across the front so I don’t need to wear a cami with it. It’s perfect for work!

dress with tights

I wore it recently with tights and boots but I bet I can wear it with sandals too. Isn’t it odd that I found a pair of boots on Groupon? I usually think of them as a coupon site for two-for-one dinners, discounted massages and that sort of thing. Well, these are a nice faux leather, and they are comfortable and were a great price. I know I’ll have to replace my other tall brown boots soon so I jumped on these.

tights and boots

I thought brass would look good with the orange flowers behind the abstract pattern in this dress (and the buckles on my boots), so I wore my “vgn” (vegan) necklace form Herbivore Clothing.

vgn

Do you have any go-to seasonal transition pieces?

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Patterned Pants

I love the comfort factor of pajama pants, but wouldn’t be caught dead in them outside the house. That’s why I love the loungewear as outerwear trend that popped up last summer.

patterned pants

Jacket: Lulu’s
Pants: Bébénoir
Tank: Swapped
Shoes: Beyond Skin
Necklace: Gifted

These are a soft, relaxed-fit pant, reminiscent of harem pants or lounge pants. With slippers and a smoking jacket, I’d rival Hugh Heffner for stylish boudoir clothes. But with ballet flats and an unstructured jacket, these are surprisingly appropriate for every day. I wore them to work and out to dinner.

black and white and red

To be clear, these are “outside pants.” I bought them at Bébénoir when I have in New York last summer. I was lucky to have this incredible gem of a boutique just around the corner of my Harlem condo, where I lived (and pretended to be a local) for 10 days.

loungewear as outerwear

I’d read about Bébénoir in a fashion magazine the week before I flew to NYC. I wanted to visit, but Harlem is a big place. I had no idea if it would be anywhere near my apartment. Imagine my luck when my taxi passed the shop, turned the corner, and dropped me off at my temporary digs.

I must have shopped there every other day. I took my parents along too, and my mom loved their clothes (in fact, she bought a pair too, which you can see in her Harlem blog post). Bébénoir has a wonderful–and affordable–selection of men’s and women’s clothing and accessories (and super friendly staff).

beyond skin shoes

My Beyond Skin flats work really well with these pants. I got these as part of a Kickstarter. I donated toward their new line of shoes and received these. All vegan, ethically sourced, sweatshop-free, fair labor–and cute! If you haven’t checked out their site, do it now! I love their new spring line.

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Black and White 60s Mod Look

Here’s a head to toe thrifted look. I got the dress from one clothing exchange and the boots from another. But it’s a look that’s meant to go together. I feel very 60s mod in this outfit. The dress is short enough to belong in the 60s too–yikes! But it isn’t more revealing than shorts, so I’m embracing the look.

retro dress and boots

Dress: Swapped
Vinyl boots: Swapped
Necklace: Florida flea market

I fiddled with the previous shot to give it a vintage feel. But by making a color photo black and white, no matter how retro or artsy it might be, loses the best part of this outfit: the red boots! I love these knee-length, high-heeled boots.

red boots

In fact, I saw them at DSW and almost bought them. I regretted not picking them up. So imagine my delight when my friend Andrea brought hers to a swap. These are even better than the Fluevogs I used to have. I sold them because I was ridding my closet of leather and other animal products. Now I have a fantastic–free–vegan replacement.

graphic dress and tall boots

I don’t manipulate my photos a lot. I want to show the real me. However, I will crop out a cluttered background or edit out a piece of garbage on the ground. For this photo, I removed my house number (hey, I don’t know everyone and I don’t like pop-ins!). I also tried to remove an unsightly security sticker from the corner of the window. Well my second-rate editing tool got confused and cloned MY head into the space instead of matching the rest of the window.

Jean spying on Jean

This might be the best accidental edit ever! I’m leaving it in. There I am, peeping through the window, wondering what I’m doing outside.

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Flannel Biker Jacket

Flannel is the uniform of the Pacific Northwest. It’s warm, that’s for sure, but it’s not usually incorporated into fashion-forward garments. Sometimes, Seattleites are called unstylish, but I disagree. And loads of Seattle Style Bloggers will prove otherwise.

I liked this jacket because it’s flannel and it’s stylish.

biker jacket

 

Jacket: eBay
Dress: Lulu’s
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Scarf: Fred Meyer’s
Bag: Craft fair in Harlem

It’s a classic biker jacket cut in an unexpected color and fabric. A perfect non-leather option. I even included it in a recent vegan motorcycle jacket post on my other blog.

I wore my jacket over a black maxi dress and added pops of color in the form of blue ballet flats, a bright pink belt, and a light gray-blue scarf. My bag from a Harlem craft fair matched so I carried it with me.yellow flannel jacket

I thought this was a comfy and stylish look for an afternoon out with hubby. We went out for lunch and then checked out the Bellevue Arts Museum, which was showing an exhibit of paper clothes. The clothes were elaborate reproductions of period pieces from the 17th century and on. Of course photography was prohibited.

yellow and black

Luckily I got this shot though. I wanted hubby to pose in front of this pair of wings but he insisted I do it. He pointed out that I matched the color scheme of the wings–and he was right.

Jean with wings

Do you enjoy visiting museums and galleries?

I’m joining Transatlantic Blonde for a linkup today. See what all the others are wearing!

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Turquiose and Brown Waistless Dress

I’ve had this dress for years and I still love it. It’s super comfy, is a neat Missoni-inspired pattern, and can be worn from early fall through late spring.

blue and brown dress

Dress: Ross Dress for Less
Tights: Target
Boots: Urban Outfitters
Cuff: Etsy

I’ve worn this with brown tights and tall boots before, but this time I thought I’d try booties and blue tights.

pleated high-waisted dress

I realize that without a defined waist, this could easily look like maternity wear. I have no solution to that dilemma. Other than carrying a flask and reinforcing the “I’m not pregnant” look by taking swigs from it all day.

blue tights

Sometimes a belt is a good way to define a waist, but this actually has pleats coming from a “princess waist” so a belt won’t work. I’m not too worried.

cuff accessoriy

I was really happy when this cuff arrived in the mail. I got it from Etsy, to replace some leather cuffs I’d gotten rid of. This is a faux leather, embossed cuff that’s lightweight and adds a bit of cool, toughness to the outfit. Doing a search for faux leather cuffs was overwhelming–there were so many great results! But I narrowed it down and got this one and a red one from a great shop called Trailer Park Gypsy.

Do you shop on crafty sites like Etsy? It can be addictive! I just bought a wall decal for my bedroom from another shop on Etsy.

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Head to Toe Gray

Today I’m wearing gray. Usually I like wearing color to contrast the gray Seattle winter but I don’t mind blending in sometimes. Call it camouflage for the Pacific Northwest.

hat, boots, jeans

Hat: Forever 21
Sweater: Wet Seal
JeansSonas Denim
Flannel boots: Groupon

Every winter wardrobe needs a beanie (or toque, as we call them in Canada). I usually wear one to keep warm, but it’s a fun fashion item too. I ditched my jacket to show off the velvet skull on my shirt.

skull shirt

My jeans are from Sonas Denim and I got them as part of a Kickstarter campaign. Sonas was raising funds for their new line so in exchange for a donation, I got these. Sonas is a vegan-run company intent on keeping their environmental footprint small. They recycle everything (even scraps of denim), give 10% of profits to animal welfare groups, and have plans to fund an animal sanctuary.

Sonas Denim

When I contributed to the Kickstarter, I got to communicate with the founder himself, Gerry Kelly. I can’t say that happens very often!

all gray outfit

I love my Sonas (I bought a second pair in black waxed cotton for a dressier, almost leather-look) so even on a gray, day, I’m happy–which is what Sonas means in Gaelic!

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Moto Jacket and Pencil Skirt

I didn’t do a lot of post-Christmas shopping last month, but this quilted pleather motorcycle jacket was an exception.

moto jacket

Jacket: Aeropostale
Top: Marshall’s
Skirt: Forever 21
Tights: Roots Canada
Shoes: Old Navy
Purse: JC Penney
Necklace: Herbivore Clothing

I found the jacket in the clearance section at Aeropostale.com–and then I saw the site had an additional 40% off! That made this $100 jacket about $22.

black and blue

It’s really soft, and completes my moto jacket collection. I have a velvet one and other variations, like pink, but until now, I hadn’t found the perfect faux Rebel Without a Cause version.

Today, I wore it with tights and a pencil skirt. Perfect for wine tasting and a live show, which is where hubby and I were off to.

touch of red

A jacket like this is a classic, and I’ll be able to wear it with everything from jeans to dresses. What classic pieces do you have in your wardrobe? Anything missing?

I’m linking up with Fab Favorites, Love your Look and Passion for Fashion today. See what all the other bloggers are wearing!

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Zebra Striped Dress

I’m ringing in the New Year with a dress in one of my favorite patterns: Animal print. There are so many types of prints (zebra, leopard, giraffe, snake, tiger, even cow!) so the look never gets repetitive. Add color to the mix, and you can see why I’m drawn to the infinite varieties of animal prints. Plus, I like animals, and you know what they say about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. I’m copying their pretty designs!

zebra dress

Dress: Swapped
Pleather boots: MIA
Necklace: The Vegan Woman
Vinyl purse: Shop in Pittsburgh

The best part of this dress might be that it was free. I got it at a clothing exchange from a fellow animal-print lover who tired of this particular piece.

Zebra close-up

It doesn’t have a defined waist, which makes it really comfortable, and the black vertical detailing at the front keeps this looking long and lean. I love the retro 70s collar!

I wore this with boots today but I’ll try it with other shoes and maybe a different pop of color, like an orange or green purse or a big cuff.

black and white

Happy New Year!

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